Choosing The Right One—Romantic Love, Courtship And Marriage Preparation

10.1163/ej.9789004171619.i-176.14

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Chapter Summary

Marriage is a social institution governed by norms and expectations, and situated within a social context of intricate kin networks. This chapter discusses the courtship patterns, family support for the union, and the role of marriage preparation in sustaining contemporary marriages. Contemporary marriages are increasingly dominated by individual interests and expected to meet personal needs of self-fulfilment and happiness. Women who married for romantic love were more likely to remain married, and those who married for reasons of economic security or to secure housing were more likely to be divorced. Of equal significance is the role of marriage preparation in preparing the script for navigating modern marital relationship. One of the functions of courtship is to facilitate marriage preparation. The chapter focuses on the spouse selection. It surfaces the empirical support for many hypotheses linking marital choices and marriage stability.